titan_uranus

This is so unimportant...but...I really don't like the lighter blue Zurich logo. Much preferred the previous version which blended into the blue on the body of the jumper.

On Brown, I saw a highlight video of Chandler's goal from the middle of the field. Was that Brown sprinting into the goalsquare chasing after it? If so...seems a far bit faster/more agile than last year?

I know it's only a practice match but belting North Melbourne is always a fun event. Hopefully Salem is OK? Otherwise sounds like we got everything we'd have wanted from this match.

I could not agree more (although I don't know if I knew that the word "risible" existed before this post. Thank you for introducing me to it). It may not be "hate", but you don't really get why people find this list of players a bit on the nose? Look at @Demonstone's post above for starters. Their system results in Jeremy Finlayson being ranked "elite" in the key forward group but Harry Mackay and Jeremy Cameron not. Finlayson couldn't hold his spot in the GWS best 22 last year and was dropped for the last month. "Elite"? Their system results in Dylan Moore and Sam Switowski being ranked "elite" in the general forward group but Charlie Cameron, Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Michael Walters not. Jack Steele had an incredible 2021 but somehow went backwards in the rankings? The point is this: whatever Champion Data is measuring, they're way off the mark to the point that these rankings are pointless.

There might be a player who fits a need we have more, but I agree with those who said Liam Jurrah.

Nah Smith was on Cameron from the start and was responsible for a number of his goals.

I noticed that too, and my initial thought is I don't like it. However, unlike @DeeSpencer I love the gold AFL logo. A reminder throughout this season of our 2021 achievement.

This is a weirdly comforting reminder that, no matter that we're reigning premiers, this is still Demonland.

Bengals 28 v Chiefs 31 49ers 24 v Rams 21

Usually from November to February the only Demonland threads I visit are the NFL and cricket ones. This year's been a touch different...

One of the greatest games of all time to end what surely is the greatest weekend of NFL games, ever? There's no doubt the main reason the Bills lost is giving up a FG in 13 seconds. But... This might be the straw that breaks the camel's back in terms of the current OT rules. For Allen not to get to touch the ball after the game he had is just not how that game should have ended. Both defences were stuffed which meant too much rested on who won the coin toss. It shouldn't be that way.

I have no idea who will play in Round 1, which is far too far way to contemplate (injuries, form etc.). But I know what I want, which is for the premiership 23 to be the 23 we pick. Just to break that record. Edit: to be clear, what I actually want is for us to pick the best 23 when Round 1 comes, so if that's not the premiership 23 then such is life. But the romantic in me would love it.

Bengals 17 Titans 27 49ers 14 Packers 35 Rams 28 Buccaneers 30 Bills 28 Chiefs 24

The more I reflect on it as the months go by, the more I realise that your second sentence is completely justifiable. 17-1-4 record, percentage of 130.8%, worst of the four losses was by 20 points, on top of the ladder for 13 out of the 23 H&A weeks, at least one win over every single finalist, and then a finals series in which three of the next four best sides other than us couldn't really get close to us (playing none of the finals at our true home ground and giving up some degree of home ground advantage each time), all the while dealing with COVID disruptions, schedule changes and hubs. I guess, somehow, it still hasn't sunk in yet.

The Round 23 Geelong game was as outlandish a period of Geelong dominance as you'll ever see. What they did simply wasn't sustainable (that game, and the PF, proved it). Everything went their way, in a period of quite literal perfection. I put very, very little stock in that run. If sides want to try to repeat it, good luck to them. As to the Dogs, yes, they were on top for a fair part of the GF through the second and third quarters. The way they played that game, and Round 19 when they beat us, is far more indicative of how I expect opponents to approach us in 2022. But it has to be remembered that the Dogs are the only side to bat deeper than us in the middle. No other side is as stacked in that part of the ground as they are, not to mention with a top 5 player (Bontempelli) in there to boot.

I agree that we don't go overboard. Other clubs seem to do it a lot more than us. I'd like to think our defensive set up is better than most other clubs such that we're not heavily reliant on buying an extra few seconds here or there in delaying our opponent in moving the ball. Other clubs maybe less so, and indeed if that is right then we may find it easier to score against those clubs who need that additional time to get their back half sorted out.

The delaying play thing is important. Everyone does it, including us. I hope to see a number of free kicks/50m penalties doled out in Round 1, so that it sinks in. The holding the ball changes are in the right spirit but I imagine are going to just create more problems in their interpretation by umpires.

Turned the cricket off for half an hour and England lose 9 wickets! Any Australian cricket fan should be pretty happy with that series. We played four Tests from January 2020 to December 2021. England, in that period, played 21. We had our incumbent captain dismissed in the weeks prior to the series, then had one of our best bowlers injured in the first Test, then our current captain Covid-ed out of the second Test, then our series best batsman Covid-ed out of the fourth Test. Despite all that, somehow, we were clearly more prepared and more settled than they were. Cam Green seems something special, as does Scotty Boland, but our 2022 Test cricket schedule is mainly three tours of the sub-continent, so poor old Boland probably won't be getting much game time as you'd expect a second spinner to be in his spot. Hopefully he's in the touring squads and gets some game time if we're resting/rotating Starc and Hazlewood.

Raiders 14, Bengals 21 Patriots 21, Bills 24 Eagles 7, Buccaneers 28 49ers 17, Cowboys 21 Steelers 24, Chiefs 31 Cardinals 28, Rams 21

Chiefs, Colts, Patriots

Chiefs, Bucs, Rams

Ravens, Bucs, Chargers

Cardinals, Cowboys, Titans

I agree re: Essendon. I'm sure they try to avoid that match-up due to complaints about jumper clashes. But that's, self-evidently, not good enough. Also agree re: Geelong, but not for 2022. We're the premiers. Hawthorn is a basket case, Collingwood is a mile off finals. In recent years Essendon and Carlton have been sent to Geelong when crowds have been available, so why not use this season as the chance to even up things and send Hawthorn and Collingwood down in seasons where you can reasonably expect them not to be in the finals? The WC/Fremantle stuff is inexplicable. There is no reasonable basis for us to consistently play WC in Perth and not even get a return game in Melbourne.

Saints, Seahawks, 49ers